Automatic friction-governor.



No. 754,185: PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904.

' V. G. APPLE.

AUTOMATIC FRICTION GOVERNOR.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 2, 1903.

No MODEL. z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATBNTBD MAR'. 8, 1904.

A @mi 551i. %mwu w mm N. 754,185; j, l

" V. G. APPLE.

AUTOMATIC FRIOTION GOVERNOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2Q 1903.

UNITED STATES Patented March 8, 1904.

VINCENTG. APPLE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC FRICTION-GOVERNOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754,185, dated March 8, 1904.

.T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, VINCENT G. APPLE, of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Friction- Governors; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification. A

The primary obj ect of my invention is to provide an automatic friction-governor adapted when operatively associated with a suitable prime mover to so regulate its own frictional contact withthe prime mover that its driven shaft has imparted to it a speed of rotation not exceeding a certain predetermined limit irrespective of the speed of rotation of the prime mover.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described which is simple in construction and reliable and posical section taken on line 4 A of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 indicates la frame-base.

11 11 indicate shortlugs projecting upward from the base 10 to afford pivotal support for a movable frame member.

In the embodiment shown 12is ashort longitudinally-disposed shaft secured in the bearing-lugs 11, as by a pin 13. Mounted upon said shaft 12- .is a laterally-oscillating frame member 14, comprising a yoke having a sleeve portion surrounding the shaft 12 and uprights lprojecting upward from the ends of the sleeve and terminating at their upper ends in bearingheads 15. Aspring 16 is arranged to exert a constant tension upon the movable member of the frame, tending to force it in one direction of its lateral oscillation, said spring being Application filed May 2, 1903. Serial No. 155,307. (No model.)

bearing-heads 15 of the movable frame member and projects therefromat both ends- 18 indicates generally a friction-cylinderk of suitable construction aflixed to the shaft 17 between the bearing-heads l5.

The form of cylinder which I have herein illustrated comprises a flanged bushing 19, having mounted thereon a series of circular leather disks 18, arranged side by side. The

end of the bushing 19 opposite the flange is screw-threaded to aford a seat for a nut 20, which bears against a washer 21 and serves to hold the leather disks tightly together. Any suitable means, such as the screw 21a, may be employed to retain the cylinder in place upon the shaft 17.

22 represents a collar secured, as by a pin 22/, upon one of the projecting ends of the shaft 17, adjacent one of the bearing-heads 15.

23 indicates a cap mounted to slide longitudinally upon the-shaft 17 beyond the collar 22 and completely covering the end thereof. The cap 23 extends into close proximity to the collar 22 and is provided with an external flange 24.

The collar 22 is provided with'two diametrically-opposed slots 25, in which are mounted bell-crank governor-levers 26, pivoted at 26 and bearing at the extremity of their longer arms 27 governor weights 27 The short arms 28 of the governor-levers extend radially inwardly and lie behind the iiange 24 of the j y the other end whereof contacts with the movable frame member. As herein shown, the stationary memberis a pedestal 30, having at its upper end a bearing-surface at about the height from the base 10 of the shaft 17.

31 indicates a curved lever pivoted,.as at 32, upon the upper bearing-face of the pedestal 30. The outer extremity of the lever 31 is curved inward and extends across the axis of the shaft 17 in close proximity to the cap 23 upon the end of said shaft. At its point of intersection with the axis of the shaft 17 the lever 31 is preferably enlarged, as indicated at 3Q, and is preferably provided with a hardened bearing-plate 33, securedA thereto by a screw 34 and arranged to afford a bearing for the rounded end of the cap Q3. The other extremity of the lever 31 is also bent inward, and its end approaches the movable frame member 14. In the present illustration the inner arm of the lever 31 is illustrated as provided with an antifriction -roller 35, bearing against one of the bearing-heads 15 of the movable member.

I have illustrated the governor above described as associated with a fragment of a iiywheel or other prime mover 36 and a mechanism to be driven, such as a small dynamo 37. The friction-cylinder 18 is shown as in driving contact with the fly-wheel 36, and the shaft 17 is illustrated as flexibly connected with the shaft 37 of the dynamo 37. The flexible connection may be of any desired nature, that which I have herein illustrated comprising a tumbling-shaft 38, having at its ends universal-joint connections with the shafts 17 and 37', respectively. A joint-and-socket connection maintained by a coiled spring is herein illustrated as a suitable universal and yielding connection; but any other may be used, if found desirable.

The use and operation of my invention will be as follows: It is often found desirable to transmit power from a prime mover whose velocity varies to a greater or less extent to a driven mechanism and at the same time to maintain the speed of the driven mechanism constant irrespective of increase of speed of the prime mover. One instance of such condition of affairs is found where it is desirable to drive a dynamo at a given speed from a fly-wheel of a gas-engine or other variablymoving prime mover. Assuming that the surface of the fiy-wheel 36, herein illustrated, is moved at varying speeds in the direction indicated in the arrow, the operation of the mechanism illustrated will be as follows: The rotation of the cylinder 18, due to itsv frictional engagement with the face of the flywheel 36, is transmitted through the shaft 17 to the governor connected thereto and tends to throw the governor-balls 27 outward, as is apparent. The short arms 28 'of the governor-levers are accordingly caused to exert outward pressure upon the cap 24, tending to move the latter axially outward. This tendency is resisted by the interposition of the end 34 of the lever 31, whose opposite extremity finds bearing against the movable member of the frame. The movable member aforesaid is held against lateral oscillation by the tension of its spring 16, and up to a certain limit the outward pressure of the cap 24 upon the lever 31 will be balanced by the resistance of the said spring. If, however, the velocity of the fly-wheel 36 exceeds a pledetermined limit dependent upon the tension and strength of the spring 16 the pressure upon the cap 24, due to the centrifugal action of the governor, will move the end 32 of the lever 31 outward, so that its opposite end engaging with the movable member of the spring will be forced inward, carrying with it the frame member 14 against the tension of the spring. The lateral movement of the frame member 14 decreases the degree of contact between the friction-cylinder 18 and the iiywheel 36 or entirely withdraws it from contact therewith, and the cylinder remains out of frictional contact with said fly-wheel until the speed of rotation of theshaft 17 is reduced to such a degree that the tension of the spring 16 againbalances or overcomes the centrifugal action of the governor. It follows, therefore, that while the speed of the fiywheel 36 is within a certain limit the surface speed of the cylinder 18 will be equal thereto; but when the speed of the iiy-wheel 36 exceeds the determined limit the cylinder 18 will be intermittently removed from contact therewith for such periods that its speed is maintained practically constant.

It will be apparent that rotation impressed upon the shaft 17 will be transmitted through the tumble-shaft 38 to the shaft 37 of the dynamo 37 and that the arrangement of the tumble-shaft with its two universal joints and its yielding spring connections permits the bodily movement of the friction-cylinder toward or away from the iy-wheel necessary to its proper operation.

For purposes of full disclosure I have described in some detail in the present specification a form of my invention which has been found practical and advantageous in operation; but-I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the specific form of means herein shown in all its details.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination withv a rotating prime mover anda bodily-stationary device, having a rotatable element to be driven, of a translating and governing device comprising a support, a laterally-movable shaft mounted in said support, a frictional power-transmitting instrumentality mounted on said shaft and arranged for normally operative association with the prime mover, a centrifugal device TOO IOS

ISO

mounted on said shaft, means for laterally moving said shaft out of operative association with the prime mover arranged to be actuated by the centrifugal device, and a flexible shaft connection between the shaft of the translating and governing device and the rotatable element of the bodily-stationary device.

2. The combination with a rotating prime mover and a bodily-stationary deyice having a rotatable element to be driven, of a translating and governing device comprising a support, a frame member movably mounted thereon, a rotatable shaft carried by said frame member, a frictional power-transmitting instrumentality secured to said shaft for rotation therewith and normally arranged in operative association with the prime mover, means for moving the frame member to remove the power-transmitting instrumentality from operative association with the prime mover, and a governing device operatively associated with the shaft to actuate the moving means, and a tumble-shaft arranged to connect the shaft of the translating and governing device with the rotatable element of the bodily-stationary device, said tumble-shaft having universal joints at each of its ends.

3. In a device of the character described a base having a fixed bearing-pedestal, a pivoted yoke mounted on the base, a shaft journaled for rotation in the yoke, a friction-cylinder secured to said shaft, a centrifugal governor upon the shaft operatively associated therewith, a lever pivoted to the bearing-pedestal, one end of the lever being associated with the governor and its other end arranged to bear against the yoke, whereby the movement of the governor serves to turn the yoke on its pivot to vary the positionof the frictioncylinder, and a spring arranged to restore the yoke to normal position.

4. In a device of the character described, a base 10 having lugs projecting therefrom, a yoke 14 mounted for oscillation in said lugs, a bearing-pedestal 30 Vprojecting from the plate l() on one side of the axis ofoscillation of the yoke. a shaft 17 journaled for rotation in said yoke and projecting beyond the `same at both ends, a friction-cylinder mounted on said shaft between the yoke-arms, a centrifugal governor secured to the shaft 17 beyond one of the yoke-arms and comprising weights having arms 28, a cap 23 mounted on the end of the shaft beyond said governor and arranged to cooperate with said arms, a lever 31 pivotally mounted on the pedestal 30, having one arm axially arranged in contact with the cap 23 and its other arm arranged in contact with the yoke, and a spring arranged to normally hold the yoke at its limit of movement in the direction of said lever-arm contacting therewith.

. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT G. APPLE.

In presence of- L.. M. ARNOLD, N. H. KELLEHER. 

